The 74th Hunger Games District 11 Rue's POV
by Dobwig the HouseOwl
Summary: We've been through Katniss Everdeen's story. We've panicked, got scared, got angry, got anxious, cried and laughed with her. We know her full story, but what about her little ally? What was Rue's story like? The sweet, caring and strong Rue that most of us love, how did she survive until her tragic end in the arena. The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns everything relating to the Hunger Games! **

**Ok, so first ever Hunger Games fan fiction. This is all from Rue's point of view, from the day before the reaping until the day she dies. Hope you like it!**

I crouch down and examine the lilies. They look so beautiful and perfect, the sun rays dancing on and off its petals. I pick one and smell it, the sweet fragrance filling my nostrils. I pick some more, until it fills the tattered old basket to the brim. Happily, I stand up again and cover the basket with a ragged cloth.

I begin to whistle a small tune as I walk home. Once I pause, the music fills the air again. Looking around, I smile and watch it is spreads around. A black and white bird lands on a branch, lifts its head high and begins to whistle also. My smile turns into a wide grin and I turn around, walking back home.

My grin soon disappears. When I turn right to enter the small, cobbled alley way that holds my home, the sight of many Peacekeepers comes into view. They turn but don't see me, for I whisked around and left before they could catch me.

I have to take another, long way home. I sigh and set off into direction, being careful to avoid any more Peacekeepers. They couldn't find me or the lilies. I would be in big trouble if they did. You weren't allowed to eat the crops or forage around in the Meadow for food. Crops were far too risky. But Meadow is less risky, so I get a lot of my food there. There are eggs and an occasional bird to catch when I climb up trees. And there are lots of flowers and roots to eat from.

I generally spend any free time for food. I had eight people in the family, me being the eldest of six kids. My father works for hours, all his time in the crops, earning little money. My mother does little jobs to try and help families, earning a bit of food and water here and there.

I do my best to earn food and feed the young ones. I couldn't let anything happen to them. We could all be taken away to a community home, but because both our parents work, the Peacekeepers thankfully leave us alone. Nevertheless, I make sure that they are as full and protected as they can get.

I reach home safely and close the old door quietly behind me. Instantly I had five younger ones jumping on me, nearly knocking me flat and sending the basket flying. My mother quickly got it and set it safely on the table as I tried calming the young one's down.

'Ok, ok! Guys, calm down, look what I got!' I say. The young one's get off me and I slowly lift the cloth and the young's begin to scream.

'Lilies!' they yelled.

'Shoosh!' I whisper loudly, and peek out of the window. No one has heard, thank fully. 'Yes, they are lilies. I thought we could have a nice salad tonight.'

'Thanks so much, Rue. Your father might bring home some meat tonight…rabbit maybe?' my mother says to me.

Before the young's begin to dance and shout again and the idea of delicious meat, I wave them off into an old room that contained homemade and aged toys and tell them to play. They settle down nicely and I help my mother.

Nearing dinner, the door opens and my father walks in. the young's begin their jumping and hugging routine. I calm them down again and hug my father also. He kisses my hair.

'Hello, sweet Rue,' He says.

'Hi daddy,' I reply.

Then my father turns to my mother and gives her a long kiss. Some of us sigh and smile, while the youngest turn immature and pretends to vomit.

'Right, got a special treat for you!' my father lifts up a parcel he was holding. 'Deer!'

We all squeal, because this is a treat. We've never had deer. It comes under the expensive category, along with beef, chicken and horse. Never have we been able to afford it, and my father must have worked very hard to earn enough for deer meat.

My mother takes the parcel off my father's hand, giving him a small peck in the cheek. As my father plays with the young's, I help my mother to prepare a meal with the deer. Once the meal is ready, we set it on the table. The steam off the roast deer hits my nostrils and I almost drool. We take our seats and dig in. for a while we are quiet, and then when our growling stomachs and satisfied slightly, we begin to talk. Every happy thing is talked, nothing else. Especially the reaping that is held tomorrow.

'Who got these lilies?' my father asks.

'Rue,' my mother replies. My father smiles at me.

And on it goes for a while. When everything is scraped clean, we all help to clean it away, before it is bed time. But when we do hit the bed, we all have one thing on our minds and none of us can switch it off.

The reaping.

I'm the one in danger in the family. I'm twelve, so this is my first year entering my name. I have entered it nine times, because despite what my father told me, I still took out tesserae. So having taken it out for eight people, I had my name eight times in the pool. Then you add one because I had to, that's nine.

I tired telling myself that there are still thousands more slips. I tried being sorry for Sarah next door. She got whipped the other day for taking the tiniest amount of food from the crops. He has ten people in his family and he has had his name in the pool 77 times. It is more likely her name is drawn out than mine.

Still…what if…what if…? I couldn't switch my brain off entirely. With millions of thoughts in my mind, about hating the Captiol, the Hunger Games, the reaping, what if I'm chosen… Somehow, I drift off into an uneasy sleep.

**Ok, guys, that was the first chapter. I hope that was ok! I know, not much action. But we still have a bit to go before the actual Games! I hope it's not too boring. Also please ignore any mathematical errors that I may have made. But please review!**

**This is also on Wattpad :D**


	2. The Reaping

**Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins! :D**

**Ok, guys, second chapter. Not as much action, but please read anyway. **

I wake the next morning, rather suddenly, like someone had slapped me in the face. In this one room that we all sleep in, I can see I'm the first one to wake. Quietly, so I don't disturb anyone, I tip toe .out of the room and stand over the kitchen. I splash my face with some water and get my toothbrush. Or the correct term, a stick of wood with some rough material. I scoop a little bit of the homemade mint 'toothpaste' onto it and brush my teeth, watching the sun making an appearance. It's quiet today, as people try to sleep in a little. Reaping's at two.

I sit on a chair for a while, trying to calm myself down. If I am chosen as a tribute, what is my skill? Jumping from tree to tree? What use is that?

_That's a good skill. _A voice in my head says. _The faster you are that, you can get food, shelter, and stay away from your enemies. They can't see you but you can see them. That makes them an easy target to get. _

I ponder on this for a while. What if there were no trees? Well, for one, it wouldn't be entertaining for the Capitol if we were thrown into a land of nothing. There may be some weapons to start fights, but we could freeze or dehydrate to death. Usually there are trees. I'm hoping there are some this year.

But then there's my size. I'm small and look fragile. I know in matter of seconds, I could be crushed by the kids from the wealthier districts.

_Size doesn't matter, _the voice says. _If you can jump around trees, being teeny tiny will help. No one will notice you. You'll be easily ignored, giving you a big advantage. _

Let's just hope that.

Pretty soon, the whole family's up. There's that feeling of uneasiness, discomfort, anxiousness, nervousness and tension that lingers in the air. We eat some tough bread and a small portion of eggs and then get ready for the reaping.

My mother has laid out a small, baby pink dress for me. It's beautiful, and my mother ties a matching ribbon into my hair.

'You look beautiful,' my mother chokes out. Everyone is nodding in agreement and I hug all of them, tightly, because who knows if I ever see them again?

We make our way into the small square. It's starting to fill and I go stand near the back with the other twelve year olds. When the square is packed, Mayor Stallwell stands near the microphone. Behind him is Stella Floovus from the Captiol to read the names out, and the only mentor we've ever had: Eliza Turnkey. Eliza was bony and small and always looked worried. It is said that she's turned paranoid and scared after her time in the arena. Well, she can't be blamed for that. I hope that she has good tips to pass on to the tributes…whom, I'm hoping…is not me.

The mayor begins the same speech as he does every year, on how the Panem was made, the Hunger Games… but I'm barely listening. I'm looking at some trees. If you look carefully, here and there a mockingjay could be seen. The memory of yesterday came to me and I smiled a little and then turned back to the stage.

The mayor has finished his speech and Stella Floovus, skips to the stage.

'Ah, welcome everyone! Today is the special day where we choose our brave tributes to represent District 11 in the 74th Hunger Games! Now, let's start with the gentlemen!'

She skips to the bowl that held thousands of slips of names. She picks one, goes back to the front again and unfolds the piece of paper. In a clear voice, she reads out, 'Thresh Thunberg!'

There are murmurs as a boys step out from the crowd. I know Thresh; I'd seen him at school. He had the same dark tone and eyes, but he was large. Not fat, more like muscly. He is also very quiet and speaks to no one at school. He sits by himself at lunch, uttering none more than a grunt here and there when necessary. But he was strong. Once I saw him beating up a kid because he had stolen money from someone at school. Thresh got into trouble, but everyone feared and admired him. And I knew he would stand a great chance at winning the Games.

When Stella asks for volunteers, none comes. From what I know, he is an only child and I doubt he had any friends that would have volunteered. Perhaps everyone thought what I did – it's likely he was going to win.

'Alright then, now for the ladies!' Stella chirps happily and goes to the glass bowl that holds the girls' name. I shut my eyes tightly, thinking, _please don't let it be me, please don't let it be me…_

'RueTreeson!' Stella calls out.

I froze. My heart kind of popped and my legs felt weak. I opened my eyes and found faces looking at me. A little sadly, most of them. But I couldn't look weak. I took a deep breath and walked up to the front, trying not to show how my legs are knocking so much or how my breaths were coming out uneven.

I climb up the steps and Stella holds my hand as we walk towards the front. I'm grateful, because I'm sure that if I didn't have anything to support onto, I'd probably collapse.

'Now, any volunteers?' Stella calls out.

Silence.

I had difficulty holding back my tears. No one wanted to be in my place. I saw some who looked as though they might volunteer, but they didn't come forward.

'Now, tributes, why don't you shake hands?' Stella says.

I shake Thresh's hand. I was afraid he would crush my small hand, but he was surprisingly soft. His eyes held a small glimmer of…pity? Sadness?

'Right, here are the tributes from District 11 for the 74th Hunger Games, Rue Treeson and Thresh Thunberg!'

There was a small round of claps and Stella said that they may leave. I was taken to a building called the Justice Building.

It's a pretty rich place, that Building. I sit down on one of the couches and stroke the smooth material with my fingers. A Peacekeepers tells me that I have been allocated to some time to say good bye to my family. A short moment after he exits, the door burst open and I'm suddenly under a human pile, with seven other hugging me tightly, refusing to let go.

My father removes himself and the others off me and the young one's take places around or on my parents sits in front of me and my mother is crying so much that she's having difficulty breathing. My father's crying too, which is a surprise because he is a strong man. He's trying to calm my mother and the little ones and wailing as well.

'Listen, guys, maybe – maybe I might –' the idea seems preposterous. 'Maybe I can win! Maybe I'l come home – we'll be rich, never have to worry about starvation and clothes and – and stuff…'I trail off quietly, letting the tears fall.

I'm being hugged again. When they all let go, my mother holds something out to me. And then I realise. It's my good luck charm. One my grandmother had made for me before she had died. It's a necklace woven out of grass and on it hangs a wooden carving of a flower, but it can be debated as being a star as well. I can't believe I forgot it.

'Can you wear this as your token?' my mother asks as she ties it around my neck.

'Of course,' I say.

My father tells me some tips and my mother just holds on to me. When the Peacekeepers come, I say to my family.

'I love you. All of you. I will never forget you. Thanks…for everything.'

'We love you too, sweetheart.' My father says. The rest of the family nods in agreement and my mother starts another wave of tears. I can barely hold mine back before the Peacekeepers takethem away, and I am alone in the room once more.

My next guest is my best friend, Lily. We don't say anything. We just hug and sit there, holding onto each other. Then finally, Lily says, 'Rue, you've been the most amazing person I have ever met. You are so strong, so passionate and so caring… I remember how you volunteered to help me around when I first came to school. I want to say… thank you so much, and remember, I love you.'

I begin to cry and again and Lily joins in. 'And you've been the best friend anyone could ask for. It was my pleasure helping you. I love you too, Lily.' I say to her.

The Peacekeepers are back again and Lily and I hug each other again before Lily goes. I wipe my face with the cushions and hope that my eyes aren't red ad puffy.

Then some Peacekeepers take me to a car. I've never been in a car. But I can't enjoy it, and everything a blur. I remember passing crowds, and then I'm in a very fancy train.

'Refresh yourself. These are your rooms until we reach the Capitol. Come back down in an hour for lunch.' With that, Stella smiles and walks away, leaving Thresh and I awkwardly standing there. I quietly cough and Thresh looks at me.

'Um…we should go to our rooms,' I say. Thresh just nods and walks off. I follow him and then turn into my room. It's luxurious and I couldn't help but take some time to examine it all. Soft fluffy beds, shower with taps marked 'H' and 'C'. We never had endless amounts of water, especially hot, but these people did. There are also millions of bottles of different scents to apply to the body, and practically endless amounts of clothes.

I peel off my dress and drop it on the bed. I take my lucky charm and carefully put it on one of the squishy pillows. I take a shower, and the warm water feels so glorious against my skin there I could stay in there forever, but I had to go down to lunch in an hour. Still, I stay there for a while, enjoying it for as long as I can. Then I look through the clothes

A lot of them were fancy dresses and skirts, but I find some tracksuit pants made from comfy material and pull in on. I also put on a t – shirt and socks, then look for shoes. I come across these comfortable looking ones. I'd seen the mayor's son wear them on sport days. Only he could afford the optional sport uniform. I'd always wanted them, because it looked like you could run in them forever and your feet would never hurt. My own shoes were my mother's old tattered ones and I couldn't run for very long in them without pausing for a break because it would hurt my feet.

But when I pull these shoes on, I feel springy and I run around the room for a bit. Then I couldn't help but sprint all the way down to the dining rooms.

'Slow down!' Stella says as I race past her and collapse onto a seat at the table. And I'm laughing, because running with these shoes feels like a breeze. I hope our shoes on the arena are like these.

'Sorry,' I say. 'Just trying out these amazing shoes.'

Stella smiles just as Thresh and Eliza make an appearance. Thresh sits without a word and Eliza's flinching every five seconds.

'O-Ok, uhm, so I am y-your m – mentor.' Eliza stutters. 'I'll t-try and help the – the best I c-can.'

Thresh and I nod. Eliza's very scared of everything, because when lunch comes, and the waiter – Avoxes, I heard they are called. They have their tongue cut off so they can never speak again - sets a plate next to her, she jumps and grabs one of the knives, waving it at the waiter. The waiter steps back and calmly take the knife from Eliza and set it back on the table.

'Ooh – uhm – sorry?' Eliza says, sounding unsure if she should apologize or not. The Avox just nods and sets the plate for everyone else. Another waiter sets down the foods, and my mouth begins to drool. They set down a large plate of salad with strips of chicken with crispy skin, slices of beef with thick gravy, mashed potatoes, a plate of assorted vegies covered in a light layer of spices, and a big bowl of something creamy and sweet. Ice cream. I've never had ice cream, but one time, I'd saved up enough to buy two small scoops from the market, and then gave it to the young's. It was their faces that made me happy, how their eyes lit up and their mouths turned into a sweet smile. Will I ever see that again?

I begin to stuff the salad but then slow down. I want to savour everything. I take a while eating the ice cream, letting the cool, creamy substance slide down my throat.

I looked around. Thresh's face was blank but I could see in his eyes that he was enjoying the food – especially the ice cream - as much I am. Eliza eats it all with nervous flinching, but Stella eating it all looking bored. I bet she always has endless amount of ice cream and other delicacies that she can whenever she wants.

When the food is all gone and our stomachs were full, Eliza speaks again.

'O-Ok, first thing that you need are s-sponsors. S-so you need to get people's hearts. Then – then learn e-everything y-you can in the T-Training C-Centre. I'll e-explain in m-more detail o-once we're in the C-Capitol in our r-rooms. N-now, we will be arriving in the C-Captiol v-very soon. You'll be a-assigned to y-your s-stylists who w-will get you r-ready, O-Ok?'

Thresh and I nod again stand up and go near the windows. The Captiol is drawing near. Everything is suddenly colourful and screams fills my ear. Then the sight of the strangest human beings comes into view.

_What are they wearing? _ I think as I watch more and more of them come into sight. I hate them, hate them all. But I wave and smile anyway. Maybe I can get some sponsors early.

_You'll be watching me suffer and maybe even die in the arena, _I think. _I will be doing all this because you want entertainment. Just you wait. One day you will pay. _

**Ok, not sure about that ending. Was it alright? And thanks for the one vote :D **

**Sorry about not much action. Remember, in the book the actual Games doesn't start until half way through the book. So please bear with me :D**

**And also Rue's and Thresh's surnames. Ok, I wrote Thunberg because I wanted some sort of 'Thump' sound in it, if you know what I mean. And Treeson…well Rue jumps around trees! If you have a better suggestions please tell me. Thanks!**

**Please comment, vote and fan!**


	3. The Tribute Parade

**Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins :D**

**Third chapter! I'm more or less following the same layout of chapters like the actual Hunger Games book. Also the Tribute Parade is part of this chapter. I'm just doing the costume that they had in the movies. I hope that's alright with you guys!**

I have three women crowding over me. One's giggling, the other's completely silent and the last one will not shut up with her gossip.

'So, like, I heard that her daughter totally failed at whatever she was trying to do. Well, she was such a dumb girl anyway. She got it from her mother. Remember how we tried to tell her to become part of the prep team with us? Oh no, she tried doing complicated stuff and now she's like totally struggling!'

Tilly begins to giggling and Melina still hasn't said a word as she continues making me look 'presentable.'

They all look extremely weird. They don't even look human. The gossiper, Makayla, has hot pink hair and matching powder smeared across the body and face. The giggler is called Tilly and her hair a sky blue and she has matching lips and green powder dusted on her. The silent one named Melina is a lot more sensible. Melina has dyed red hair and her lips match her hair. She has thick black eye liner but it makes her look rather nice. I think I like best out of these three, despite the fact that she has not made a sound to me.

I'm being prepared for the Tribute Parade that is held tonight. We are assigned to one stylist and a group consisting of three is our prep team, who have me scrubbed, washed, waxed and moisturised. My nails, which were once bitten and dirty, are now cleaned and neatened. Because I had bitten them so low down they had to attach fake nails with white tips over my own nails. I don't like it. It's too long and keeps getting in the way, but I hold my tongue and leave them by my side.

My prep team moves onto my hair. First they rinse it, and then apply something gooey that turns into foam when it is massaged into my hair. My hair is black, curly and also very poofy. I don't get to wash it often, so when my prep team does, it feels like my head is a lot less heavier. I reach up at touch my hair. It feels silky and not a knot in place.

'We should totally straighten it,' Makayla says. 'Like, it's so poofy and gets in the way.'

I'm sorry? How dare her!

Tilly giggles and the urge to punch both of them comes to me. I try and calm down. 'Nah, we should ask Broonee first.' Tilly says.

'Let's call her. Broonee!' Makayla calls out.

The door opens and a woman enters. Having been around this lot, I'm not surprised to see that Broonee, my stylist, has fluoro green hair, yellow eye liner, orange lipstick and rainbow powder all over her. She walk toward me, her feet making tapping noises and I see she is wearing shoes with the highest and thinnest heels I have ever seen. And she walks perfectly, not even staggering.

Once she is at the table, she carefully examines me from head to toe. Then she touches my hair. The tips of her sharp nails scratch my scalp very slightly. I wince a little.

'Yeah, um we were thinking if her hair should be straightened?' Makyla asks.

'No,' Broonee replies. 'Her poofy hair makes her look cuter. That might get someone's heart.'

Well. At least she's trying to help me.

'Ok, Rue. Sit up.' Broonee says to me. I do so and the other takes seats around me.

'We're meant to dress you up as something that represents your district. So for you, crops.' Broonee says. I nod. I know this. Every year, I watch two kids from my district dress to imitate the crops we grow. You see those kids in outfits of fruits, vegetables and sometimes just a thin stick with bunches of material protruding from the sides to represent wheat. I wonder what it is this year.

'We won't do the crops anymore. Instead, we'll do the lovely people who grow them – farmers! And from what I know, you are one, aren't you?'

I nod as memories of harvesting food with friends and family come into my mind.

'Well, brilliant! You can tell us if the costume has any flaws, ok?' Broonee asks and I nod again.

A while later, I'm wearing a poofy blue top and navy overalls. My hair is left the way it usually is and on top of it is a headpiece that looks like wheat. Thresh is standing next to me, silent as usual. He's wearing the same as me, only he has a white shirt.

'Ok, so I need you to smile and wave. Rue, look extra cute. Melt their hearts. Thresh; look strong, bold and mighty. Let them admire you. Can you do that?' Broonee asks us.

We nod. Broonee shows us the horses that will take us to the City Circle. I sit and watch the other tributes as there final touches are added.

One pair catches my eye. They are both wearing a black unitard and matching boots that was laced up to their knees. But what was the most amazing thing about that costume was a cape that is yellow, orange and red and a matching headpiece. I stare at them in awe, then shake my head slightly and look around. I realise I'm not the only one gawping at them. Almost everyone in the room looks at the pair in either awe or jealously. Coal mining. What an amazing job their stylists have done!

I look down at my own costume. Compared to district 12's, mine looked plain and boring. Will I stay on people's mind? Will they think that our costume is too boring and forget about us entirely? All I can do now is sit quietly now and put on my best performance out there and hope I at least capture one person's eye permanently.

The gate's open and District 1 is rolled out into the crowd. The screaming begins instantly. The ride is twenty minutes to reach the City Circle. District 2 rolls out…then 3…4, 5, 6…until finally eleven.

'Good luck!' someone hisses into our ears. I turn and see Broonee nodding at us. I have time to smile quickly before the horses move, and I'm out in front of a crowd, where I can hear the crowd screaming and the music playing. I remember Broonee's advice and begin to smile in the cutest way possible and wave. Thresh looks strong as he looks at the crowd with a face that seems blank but his eyes were full of deadly power. I'm happy, because I'm glad that this hasn't turned into a total failure.

But just before we reach the City Circle, the screams become much louder and I can tell it is not aimed for us. I take a quick glance at a large screen hanging in the air. It is no longer showing Thresh and me. It's showing the two tributes from District 12.

Now, these are the people I thought looked amazing back in the room where the final touches were added. But now, those capes were on fire and they were lighting up the whole sky. They looked so amazing that I drop my hand and gawk at them until the horses stop in front of President Snow's mansion. The people are screaming the District 12's tributes. The girl tribute is going brilliant – I can hear the audience screaming, 'Katniss! Katniss!' – But the boy is also doing a great job, though I don't know his name. They reach the City Circle as well, after about twenty minutes. The music ends and the yells cease. A small, thin man with white man steps up to the balcony. President Snow. He gives us an official welcome to us and I look around. The camera is trying to resist the temptation on focusing itself on District 12's chariot. The capes are still on fire and as the sky goes darker, they become more and more looked upon. After one more parade around the Circle, we are all marched back into the Training.

Broonee and the prep team rushes over to us and begin to gush at our performance. Thresh merely grunts and I weakly smile. My attention is fixed upon Katniss and the boy tribute from District 12. Their stylists go over to them, remove the capes and the woman stylist extinguishes it with some sort of spray from a can. I'm so focused on them that I don't hear Broonee call me, until she has prodded me sharply in the arm.

'Rue!' she says.

'Huh?' I whip my head back to her. 'Sorry, what?'

'I was saying that you two did a brilliant job. Got the crowd's attention pretty well…until _they _showed up.' Broonee hisses the last sentence, nodding her head at Katniss and the boy.

'So?' I say. Broonee, the prep team and Thresh looks at me. 'So what? They're doing their job. They have a method to survive in the arena and they are doing it. There's no need to be bitter towards them for that.'

Broonee narrows her eyes and looks at me for a while. I don't break my eye contact with her, either. Because I don't like how she is being nasty towards District 12. They're the poorest city, they deserve sympathy and kindness. They are trying their best to survive, and it's just horrible that people go around trying to ruin that!

'Well, whatever, then.' Broonee says. She takes the headpiece off us and guides us back into our rooms.

I pass Katniss and the boy on the way back. I look at her, and something flares up inside me. Something which told me that if Thresh or I didn't win, I want one of them to do so.

**Right, yeah, that's another chapter, and I realise that it is not very good. **

**Nevertheless, please review!**


	4. Training Centre and the Gamemakers

**Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins!**

**Fourth chapter! Unfortunately, school has just started so I don't have a lot of free time to write…but never fear! I shall do my best to not abandon this story.**

**Also, you know the scene in the movie where Rue steals the knife from Cato? I love that scene so much, I included it in here. I hope you guys don't mind! **

**SO SORRY ON THE LONG WAIT, I THOUGHT I PUT THIS CHAPTER UP BUT IT HADN'T BEEN UPDATED! SORRY!**

Coming from a district where the most expensive thing is a TV with one clear channel, the Training Centre is something that seemed to have been brought from the future. Not only does it have a fabulous Training Rooms, but it also has a giant floor for each district. And travelling to them is very easy. You step on this thing called an elevator and you're zoomed, up or down, into the floor that you want.

And then in those huge floors, every person gets their quarter. Mine could fit my house in it and still have a fair bit of space left over. There's a big fluffy bed, cupboards full of clothes and if I speak into a mike, I can order whatever food I want and it appears in less than a minute, fresh and hot, before you. And the showers! It has millions of buttons for soap, shampoos, massaging oils; almost everything that I need is at my disposal. I order some cake, which I have never had, and I eat it as I examine every single place in my quarter.

Stella knocks on the door and I follow happily. The meal is possibly more luxurious than the one on the train. We are served with a prawn entrée, stuffed beef with gravy, salad, a basket of rolls, and apple pie. It's funny, because I spent the first 15 minutes drooling over it rather than actually eating it. Then my senses come back and I begin to eat. I imagine having all these stuff at home. How full would our stomachs be! How we would go to bed with a satisfied body! How the young's smile would be stretched across the faces, threatening to rip! It was a sight we all dreamed of, but never got. I stare at my food, and a pang hits my stomach, as I think of my family. I blink hard as small drips of tears began to crawl down. I look around – no one seems to have noticed.

Eliza stutters. It takes a while to form a speech from her mouth but it is a helpful one, as she tells us what to do in the coming days.

We train for a couple of days in the Training Rooms, then we show our abilities to a group of Gamemakers. They mark our ability from 1 – being terrible at whatever we were trying to do – to 12 – being absolutely amazing. There are 3 districts, District 1, 2 and 4, whom we in District 11, the Lapdogs. Because that is what they literally are. Lapdogs to the Capitol. They are fed much better than us, trained from a young ages (despite the rules against it) and are much bigger and stronger than us. They are the ones who get at least more than 7 in their scores. The rest of us usually average a five.

'S-Scores are v-very h-handy.' Eliza stutters to us. 'B-Because w-when they are a-announced, s-sponsors take in-interest in the ones w-with the b-best s-score.'

Eliza tells us that when we being to train, we go around to every station, learning every tip possible. Then when it comes to showing the Gamemakers, show what we are the best at.

'W-what c-can you g-guys do?' Eliza asks.

I look at Thresh, waiting for him to answer first. He simply shrugs.

'I dunno,' he says. 'Fighting, maybe.'

'A-and you, Rue?'

I think, and my mind instantly comes with jumping around trees.

'Jumping around trees,' I say.

'V-Very handy. W-What best f-for s-someone with that a-ability is that they s-should try to gain i-information. C-can you do that?' Eliza asks.

I shrug. Can I? I guess I do know a lot of about District 11 and other areas than other people do. I'm not nosy. But it's funny how much you can hear when you just listen.

'Maybe. I guess.' I answer.

'E-Excellent. So, w-what I w-want you g-guys to d-do is…' Eliza goes on. For the rest of the afternoon, Eliza tells us what to do.

Eliza wants us to go around every single station, not matter what the popularity status of the stations are. Then, when it's time to show the Gamemakers what we've got, we show them thoroughly on what we can do.

I'm grateful because our mentor is a good one. I thought back to how we watched the reapings from other districts. District 12's mentor got me feeling sorry for them. He was drunk, very drunk, and he tried to hug their escort, and then fell off the stage. Will he be any use for Katniss and the boy tribute?

I crawl into bed, my body practically sinking into the mattress and the quilt gave me instant warmth. I fall into a deep sleep, not waking up until a sharp knock on the door got my eyes opening, slowly.

'Come on, come one! Training Day, you can't miss it! Wakey, wakey Rue!' Stella somewhat shrill voice fills my ears.

I jump and take a long shower, then pull on the same outfit I had on the night before, but instead of the running shoes, I put on running boots.

Stella escorted Tresh and me to the Training Rooms below, hisses good luck into our ears and leaves. I look around – there are some tributes around, as well as a tall, athletic woman, who introduces herself as Atala. I look around the equipment, my eyes glinting into joy when I found fake trees and other things to climb up and jump around on. The last people arrive, who happens to be Katniss and the boy tribute.

Atala explains the rules about the Training Rooms. I can tell the Lapdogs are itching to try out the huge weapons, most of them about as big as me. I look at those Lapdogs, and see how huge and muscly they are.

That is when a thought struck me. Thresh is huge and muscly. Thresh is strong and powerful. What is Thresh joins the Lapdogs? No, he wouldn't. He has the sense not to. Or I hope.

Atala lets us go and the Lapdogs race to the station where huge weaponry is kept. Thresh looks bored and he begins to walk from station to station, not really trying in any of them. Despite what Eliza told us. Or maybe, this was a secret strategy? So that no one can find out his abilities until it hits them.

I start on the plants station. The lady smiles at me and asks me what I know about plants.

'Uh…' I say 'I kind of know how to which are edible and which aren't…'

The lady smiles and pulls out a large box full of assorted plants and other things form nature and a stopwatch.

'What I want you to do is,' the lady says 'to sort these out from edible to non - edible. First we'll see your best score. Then we'll see how much you can sort out in a limited amount of time. '

It's far too easy. I know I' m sounding modest but I got that box sorted through within a record time. The lady squeals and brings out a bigger box. And another one. We've gone through four huge boxes before I leave to go join another station. The lady waves good bye with her voice sounding extremely happy, and I feel satisfied on the inside.

I try weaponry next. Only I don't got and try out the maces or swords. Instead, I pick up a slingshot and stand back, shooting the target. I get it each time and I feel proud, despite the fact that if a Lapdog got hold of a slingshot, they will probably crush it with just their index finger and thumb.

I shake my head of that thought and look around. That's when I see Katniss, who quickly whips her heads back round when our eyes meet. I faintly smile, moving on.

I sneak around, swinging by every station, but mainly gathering information about my opponents. Their strengths and weaknesses. Once, for the fun of it, I stole a knife from the horrendous boy from District 2, then raced off with it and climbed up and watched from a whole lot of ropes tied together (where climbing is practised). The boy blamed on another boy and a fight aroused, before it was broken off by some Peacekeepers. I giggled while lying down. Thresh looks up at me, smiles (first time I have seen him do that) and shakes his head. I also catch Katniss smiling at me too.

When Katniss and Peeta (the District 12 boy – I finally found out his name) were practising throwing spears, I couldn't help but watch them do so. Katniss is quite good and Peeta isn't bad either. I stand there, watching them, until suddenly Peeta turns around, sees me, and then turn back to Katniss. He says something into her ear but I can hear it.

'I think we have a shadow,' he says.

Katniss turns around and looks at me for a second, before she faintly smiles at me. My cheeks turn slightly red and I quickly walk away again.

The days of training eventually ended and the day I have been dreading for a while came. The day when we show the Gamemakers what we can do.

Eliza gives us all the advice she can give, yet that doesn't stop me from getting nervous. Something kept gnawing away on my stomach and nothing was helping to get rid of it.

Thresh and I sat in the waiting rooms on the day. We were silent, but if the thoughts in our heads were audible, it would have been incredibly loud in the room. The order that the 'presentations' go from starts at district 1, boy first and then girl, down to district 12. Thresh and I sat there for quite some time, before Thresh's name was called.

'Good luck,' I say quietly. Thresh nods.

Now I'm alone, and that is getting me a lot nervous than I was. Ten, twenty, thirty minutes pass before my name gets called. I begin to walk into the room where the Gamemakers are seated, trying not show how shaky I was.

But when I enter, no one even looks at me. They're bored, having seen twenty one others performing. But I took this ignorance as an advantage.

Fake trees were lined up against the back of the room. I climb up one of them, then swing from one tree to another, until the little podium were the Gamemakers are were in better view. And then I sit there, watching them and gathering all information I can get.

It was about fifteen minutes later when one of them wonders aloud where I was. The rest of them of shrug and look around, and I decide to speak.

'I'm here,' I say mysteriously.

The Gamemakers look around in confusion and I resist the urge to giggle. 'I've been here for quite some time now. I've been watching what you've been doing. Seneca, you were talking about how you tried to cook and you failed. Blico, you were talking about how your mother refuses to let you live by yourself despite your age and your achievement. And then, you, Truanna, you were talking about how…'

I told them everything I had heard and some of them blush, the others nod in approval.

'I think my strengths are, apart from what I just showed you, is climbing and swinging around trees, quietly.' I say, when I finish telling them what I had heard.

'Demonstrate,' Seneca Crane (head Gamemaker) says.

So I do. Very quietly, I swing, climb and jump from tree to tree. Then, I finished my performance by landing neatly in the middle of the floor.

Some of the Gamemakers clap and I couldn't stop the huge smile that was now stretching on my face. They dismiss me, and I skip back down to our floor.

'H-How did you go?' Eliza stutters to me.

'Really good,' I answer back, still smiling.

I practically gulp down my dinner, because all I wanted to do was to see my score. It feels like forever, but finally we all sit in front of the T.V and I'm slightly jumpy, nervous and excited.

Thresh scores a ten, but I'm not surprised. With his huge body and power, of course a ten would come his way. But what about me? What scores is going to be given to me?

I'm surprised when my score is shown. I score a seven.

Stella squeals, and Eliza stutters, 'W- Well d-done!' to me. And thresh talks, for the second time.

'Good one,' he says, smiling.

'You too,' I smile back.

When I go to bed, all I'm thinking about is my score. And home. The scores were broadcasted to the whole of Panem, so my family would have seen it. Were they proud of me? I hope so. Because I'm pretty proud of myself. I never would have expected that seven. The precious seven.

**And there you are guys! So sorry if that was a bit rushed. Don't forget to review!**


	5. The Interviews with Caesar Flickerman

**Hello! Here is the next chapter, sorry for the mistake with chapter 4;**

**By the way, this story is unedited and English is my second language, so please excuse any mistakes. If you are interested in being an editor for this story, please comment or send me a message **

**I'm really excited because the actual Hunger Games is starting next chapter! **

**Disclaimer! Everything related to Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins. I may not have put in a disclaimer in every chapter...sorry...**

I wake up from a horrific nightmare.

Again.

All happiness and satisfaction of scoring a seven has gone. A while remains until we enter the arena, yet I can't help the different, scary dreams that enter my mind every night as I attempt on sleeping.

My most common nightmare is that I'm thrown into a pit. There's no light and I can't see anyone. Then I see a set of bright red lights and suddenly something heavy and metal launches on me. It's something created by the Capitol, and it is trained to fight you, make sure its ends your life…slowly and painfully. It rips a chunk of my flesh and savours it, while I lay there, writhing and screaming in agony. But no one notices in the arena as they have their own devices to take care of. Some finish their animal off and gang up on me, and I have all these weaponry slicing and carving through me… all for entertainment. All this pain, just for the joy and entertainment.

Each night, the invention turns more brutal, producing more blood and more pain. Lack of sleep was getting to me and once, during lunch, Eliza was discussing more about the Hunger Games to Thresh and I and I just slammed my head on the table and fell asleep. Gentle shaking didn't wake me up. A jug of ice water, however, did.

This particular morning, I wake up to not only another nightmare, but also to the birds singing. How peculiar. Nature in the Capitol seems all but extinct. Everything was far too bright, everything seemed artificial.

The birds' tweeting somewhat calmed my racing heart, a result from the nightmares. I lay under the covers and stared at the roof. I didn't want to leave. Yet if I stay in bed forever, I could drift off to sleep and the nightmares could return. So I shove the covers away from me and clean up myself, then wander down to the dining halls for breakfast.

It was silent at first, breakfast. Then Eliza clears her throat and speaks.

'W-Well, you w-will be d-doing an i-interview with C-Caesar F-Flickerman in two days, as you may or may not know.' She says to Thresh and me.

We nod. We do know. After we perform in front of the Gamemakers, we are made up by stylists ad do an interview in front every citizens of Capitol and everyone in Panem watches. This gets people to know a bit more about the tributes, and is an advantage to the sponsors, who can now look into the tributes to see who is worth the money and gifts.

'S-So what will be h-happening is that you b-both will have a t-training s-session with me and one with S-Stella. Then the s-stylists will p-prepare you for the n-night. G-got it?'

Thresh and I nod in understanding. After breakfast, I am taken to a room to do my training with Eliza. We spend four hours training. In that session, Eliza tells me to answer Caesar's questions in such a way that people won't forget me. That my tininess doesn't affect my strength. Eliza pretends to be a (stuttering – however, I didn't care one bit about that) Caesar and I answer to them as Eliza told me too. I must have done a satisfying job, because Eliza says 'well done' and nods approvingly in the end.

Stella's job is my presentation. She knows my ability to jump and climb around and up trees. That I prefer being up than down. She gets me stand for a while as she examines me.

'You know, Rue,' She finally says, after a couple of minutes of examination. 'You stand like a bird about to take flight.'

A few people told me that, back in District 11. Maybe I do. I look down at myself and I realise that I stand slightly on my toes and that I spread my arms out – just like a bird.

'When going over to sit down with Caesar, walk in such a way that you look like a bird, flying gently. Nothing exaggerated; I don't want you to flap your arms like an idiot. Just gentle and soft. Let's practise.'

We spend the remaining hour practising my walking, and then it's time for dinner. Nothing happens much at that time, but my lack of sleep almost gets to me again and I end up purposely biting a chilli to somehow keep myself awake for the rest of dinner.

But when it's time to go to bed, I ask an Avox for something to help me sleep. I have heard of these things called sleeping pills and I was hoping for them (as long as they were safe), but the Avox returns with a big mug of warm milk. I find that these made me sleepier after a few sips, but I continue drinking until the mug is empty. With a full stomach and droopy eyes, I drift off to sleep. That night, I had only one, small nightmare. The same one as most nights, but my agony had ended in minutes, before good dreams flooded into my mind.

'Let's wake her.'

'Yeah, Broonee wants her as soon as possible, she said.'

'She looks like you can throw her into fire and she won't wake up.'

'Yeah, she does… hey, let pour some cold water on her, maybe that will –'

'NO!'

I shot straight up as soon as I heard them discussing pouring water on me. I already had that happening to me once; I do _not _want that again.

'Rue!' Makayla's green lips stretch into a smile. 'We were just discussing pouring water on you to wake you up.'

'I heard,' I grumble. I climb out of the covers and walk to the bathroom.

'Don't be too long! It's a big day today.' Tilly half giggles and half shouts to me.

'Hmhm… yeah, ok.' I reply back.

Today is a big day. Or actually, _tonight is going to be a big day_. The interview with Caesar Flickerman is on tonight and to say I'm nervous is an understatement. A big understatement.

I have breakfast and then Tilly and Makayla drag me to Broonee while Melina quietly walks behind us. As soon as Broonee says, 'let's go!', chaos begins. The four woman bustles around me as they fix my hair, my makeup, my overall body. When all that is done, Broone slips something purple over me and adds something to the back. I turn and look at the full length mirror.

I'm wearing a stunning purple gossamer gown and matching shoes, and wings are attached to my back. I notice the way I'm standing. Add feathers on me and I would be mistaken for a colourful bird.

'Wow… Broonee, thanks…' I say, my voice coming out as a soft whisper.

'It's no problem, Rue. Now, you know what to do? Take away everyone's breaths, Rue.' And Broonee's next action surprises me. She plants a kiss on my forehead. 'Good luck, little bird.' She says. The other three nod, Tilly and Makayla saying 'good luck' as well and Melina simply smiling.

The night soon arrives. I am led to sit down and all I feel is jumpiness. All I want to do is jump around and wish that there was no such as the Hunger Games. But I can't. All I can do is sit and try not to shake so much until I get called up.

Caesar Flickerman grins broadly and welcomes the audience. His appearance can be a shock each year. This year his hair and suit is blue, and so are the eye shadow he has on and his lips. He warms up the audience with some jokes, and then he settles down to business.

Each interview lasts simply three minutes, and the tributes have the precious three minutes to make the best impression possible. Caesar helps out, by laughing at jokes, however lame and making what the tributes say memorable. Every district of the entire country of Panem is tuned into this.

The tributes file away, and soon, the boy of District 10 finishes up. I am next. I wipe my hands on my gown and look up, and count to twenty. Or at least, try to. Before I reach fifteen, my name is called.

When I walk across the stage to the seat next Caesar, nobody claps. Instantly I worry because I think I may have made a mistake, even though all I've done is walk. Then I realise that the hush that had fallen was because they were stunned. By me. They, the Capitol audience, who were impressed by many, yet haven't been silenced by anyone (as far as I know) is stunned by me.

'Rue,' Caesar says. 'Welcome, welcome, my dear. First of all, I want to give you a big congratulations on your score of seven. I think our audience agrees with me, yes?' The audience begin to cheer crazily. I can't help but smile widely.

'Thank you very much, Caesar. And to all of you.' I address the audience. They cheer once again.

'Now, Rue, if you don't mind me saying, you are rather small. Does this bother you? It seems not, what with your seven, but what do you think.' Caesar says.

I shrug. 'Not really. Size doesn't matter, Caesar. Size doesn't matter at all. It's what on the inside that counts. Appearance is given to us so there is some discern between you and me, so people aren't confused. What you are on the outside rarely shows what you are on the inside.'

The audience falls silent again as my words sink in. 'Those words are very wise, Rue, and I completely agree with you. Now, tell me, you come from District 11, yes? How was it for you?'

My eyes slightly prickled as memories flooded into my brain. 'I loved it. I was happy, there. I had all my family. I miss them a lot.'

'I'm sure you do, but let me tell you one thing. You will see them soon, won't you, when you win?' Caesar asks.

'I hope so,' I squeak out.

Caesar smiles slightly and continues. 'What do you think your greatest strength in the arena would be, Rue?'

I don't hesitate to answer. In a tremulous voice, I answer back, 'I'm very hard to catch. And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out.'

'I wouldn't in a million years.' Caesar says encouragingly. The buzzer goes off, announcing the end of the interview. Caesar stands up and takes my hand, lifting it in the air. 'Ladies and gentlemen, District 11 very own female tribute, Rue Treeson!'

The audience claps and cheers and I smile at them. I survived. I actually survived the three minute interview. It's over. Now I have only one nightmare left – the actual Games.

Thresh goes up next. He's very silent and ignores Caesar attempts on joking around. He simply answers yes or no and that's it. Yet you could tell that there were going to be many sponsors considering him.

After Thresh is Katniss. Even though she showed slight nervousness, her answers came out in a funny manner and it got the audience cracking up. Until Caesar asks her about her family back home, silence falls over the audience. Katniss tells us about her little sister, Prim. How much she loved her. How Prim asked Katniss to win and come home, and how Katniss promised to that. You can see it in Katniss' eyes and the way that she speaks that it is all true and how much she cared for Prim.

Tears spring to my eyes but I blink it away. Katniss loves Prim like I love my own family. I can relate to it.

The buzzer goes off soon after and the last tribute to be interviewed is Peeta Mellark. Peeta tells us that his family own a bakery and says jokes that get the whole audience in stitches. I was laughing pretty hard too, Peeta seems naturally gifted at humour and very likeable. When the audience calms down, Caesar asks Peeta whether he has a girlfriend back home.

Peeta looks down at gives an unconvincing shake of his head.

'Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?' Caesar asks.

Peeta sighs and answers, 'Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping.'

Sympathetic sounds come from the audience.

'She have another fellow?' asks Caesar.

'I don't know, but a lot of boys like her.' Peeta says.

'So here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?' Caesar says encouragingly.

'I don't think it's going to work out. Winning…won't help me in my case.' Says Peeta.

'Why ever not?' asks Caesar, puzzled.

Peeta turns bright red and his answer stammers out. 'Because…because…she came here with me.'

My head instantly swivels from Peeta's face to Katniss' face. Her mouth is half open in a mix of protest and surprise. She then shuts her mouth and stares at her floor.

Imagine a boy confessing his dying love for you in front of the whole of Panem! How will Katniss feel after her shock? Happy? Angry? Does she love him back?

I thought, however, that what Peeta did was kind of sweet. It reminds me of my parents. My father had proposed to my father right in the middle of an extremely busy town square. Everyone who were there saw and heard the news and eventually it travelled on.

'Oh, that is a piece of bad luck,' says Caesar with an edge of real pain in his voice. The audience agrees.

'It's not good,' Peeta says.

'Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It's hard not to fall for that young lady. She didn't know?' Caesar asks.

'Not until now,' Peeta answers, shaking his head.

'Wouldn't you love to pull her back out and get a response?' Caesar asks the audience. They scream back in agreement. 'Sadly, rules are rules. Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our heart goes with yours.'

The screams from the crowd is absolutely deafening. Peeta chokes out a 'thank you' after the crowd settles a bit. We then have to stand for the anthem. I look around for Katniss. She has her head held high out of respect. I turn back again, waiting for the anthem to finish.

When it does, we all file back to the Training Centre for dinner. When we all get back, Eliza turns to us. 'W-Well d-done. You b-both did g-great. L-lets have d-dinner now, you m – must b-be h-hungry a-after all t-that.'

I am hungry. After a delicious dinner, we head to the sitting room and watch replays of the interviews. I think I went okay. Not amazing, not terrible. Just somewhere in the middle.

When the interviews replays are over, Eliza tells us to go to bed. 'Y – You n-need as m-much s-sleep as you c-can g-get b-before the a-arena,' she says. I agree with her, and my stomach churns. The arena. The Games start tomorrow, at ten.

I force myself to somehow rid my brain of the arena and try to sleep. It took me four hours, but somehow, my mind drifted and I fell asleep, hoping and hoping I survive and no nightmares come.

**Well, there you go! The next chapter is the arena! I have a few things to say – one, I'm sorry if Rue's interview seemed really short. Second, I hope Peeta's confession was alright. We all know it but I thought it might be a little interesting to write about Rue's reaction. And third, I'm sorry if Rue doesn't seem nervous enough about the arena or the interview… I'll try and fix it later if needed.**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Thanks Bye!**


	6. Melina's Story

Sorry for the wait! But here is the chapter now, and I hope it is okay! I've put in a little story about Melina hereJ

Sorry for any errors. English is my second language so I will probably make mistakes in grammar and suchJ

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to EVERY SINGLE one of you who have read and liked this story. Seriously, you support means the world to me. It means that there is actually someone out there who likes my writing and it inspires me to write more! Thanks so much guys! :D

Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins!J

I force my eyes shut but they flip open as soon as I close them. That image, that horrendous image which I have been getting nightmares about for many nights, appears as soon as I close my eyes. I can't. Whatever I do, even if it is drinking cups after cups of warm milk, I just can't manage myself to sleep. Or even lay down, for that matter. For the past who – knows – how – many hours, I have been in this sitting position, the blankets covering me tightly, like it was a form of protection.

All I can think of is the Arena. Where will I be thrown into? Woods? Plain land? An island in the middle of an ocean?

And then there is survival. How am I going to survive? Sure, getting food and water is alright, I do plenty of that back home and I pulled through fine. But what about other tributes? In District 11, people didn't run after you, swinging their maces or swords or whatever weapon they had. And what about the predators that the Gamemakers had set up in the Arena? Will I survive?

At that moment, I believe that I won't.

My mind wanders to my family. There are cameras set all around the Arena so that everyone, and not just the Capitol, can see what is happening. And my family would probably see me, ripped up and shredded in the first few seconds after it starts…

_Stop,_I tell myself. I have to be strong. I can't get these images in my head. I have to think otherwise. Nevertheless, tears drip from my eyes and a pained voice escapes my lips. My head slumps forwards and rest on my arms. I'm so tired. All I wanted to do is sleep. But the nightmares wouldn't let me and now it was too late. Morning was dawning and I had to be up soon, to get ready for the dreaded Arena. Even though the Games don't start until ten, we had to up early to prepare ourselves.

I regret it. I regret not sleeping at all, because I know that closing your eyes and shutting off from the outside world was dangerous in the Arena. You had to be alert, all the time, even while asleep. And the most amount of sleep I have gotten through the night was perhaps two hours, maximum. Definitely not enough.

Eliza and Stella don't come with us to the place where we will be launched into the Arena. However, Broonee and Thresh's stylist, Michael, do.

Stella pulls me into a bone crushing hug and I struggle to breathe. She was rather strong, even if it wasn't shown on the outside. She then turns to hug Thresh who pats her on the back awkwardly. I supress a small laugh.

Eliza gives me a much lighter hug, which even turned out slightly awkward.

'R-Remember; d-don't take p-part in the B-Bloodbath. R -Run far a-away into the place w-where t -there s-seems to be a g– good a-amount of s-survival…if that m-makes s-sense. D -Does it?' Eliza asks. Thresh and I nod in reply.

'G-Good l-luck,' Eliza's voice drops into a whisper. We thank her quietly, before Stella crushes our bones again with another one of her hugs. Well, mine anyway. I struggle under her hold, trying to keep my body in one piece. Thresh doesn't move an inch.

'Good luck!' Stella says, louder than Eliza. 'Don't die!'

'We'll try,' I tell her, still trying to detach myself from her. Finally she lets us go and I rub my arms, the place where I was sure the bones were broken.

Broonee is supposed to take me away and give me my outfit for the Arena. But I still have some time left until that, so I wander off for a shower, hoping it would wake me up a little. However, on my way, someone hisses my name.

I spin around and found Melina's head poking out of a door of a room that I had apparently failed to notice throughout my time here. My eyebrows rise in surprise. Never have I head Melina speak.

'Come in here for a moment?' she whispers to me. I nod and enter the room. Nothing fancy compared to the other rooms, but certainly grander than an average room back home. It consists of a T.V, a couch and a small fridge.

_This must the poorest room I have seen so far in the Capitol,_ I thought.

'Take a seat,' Melina says to me. I awkwardly sit down onto the couch. Melina takes a seat next to me. She turns around and crosses her legs to face me. I turn to face her.

'You have never heard me talk, have you?' she asks.

'Never,' I reply. 'And I have wondered why. I still do.'

'Well…I think I might as well tell you. I never tell anyone why unless…unless I trust them.'

'You trust me?' I ask in shock.

'I do, actually. It's sort of funny, isn't it? Trusting someone who's never heard you talk.' She says. I slowly nod.

'Well, I will tell you now. What happened is –'Melina begins.

'Wait!' I stop her. I look around the room. 'Is there a video camera here? Do you want to speak openly about this topic?'

'Strangely, this room doesn't, which is why I love it. It is the most private room in the Training Centre and hardly anyone finds it.' Melina says.

'Really? I wish I knew it.' I say.

'I should have told you. Sorry, I tell you that I trust you yet I never mention this.' Melina says.

I wave her apology away with a smile. 'Don't worry about it. Continue with your story.'

'Right,' she moves around a bit and gets herself comfortable. 'Well, Rue…I used to be from District 11.'

'What?' I ask incredulously. 'You were?'

Melina nods. 'I was. I was happily there until one day, the Capitol contacted my mother. She was offered a job as stylist for a district. Everyone knew my mother and her cleverness when it comes to fashion. So she was offered a highly paid job with safety and luxury. But here's the catch: She wasn't allowed to bring her husband or partner. She was allowed one daughter if she had any. They would have the privilege of not being chosen for the Hunger Games. And she chose me.'

'She wasn't allowed to bring your father?' I ask, my eyes widening.

Melina shakes her head. 'No, she wasn't. But here is the thing, bringing me was optional and I was allowed to refuse. I had a younger sister. I was allowed to refuse, and I left my sister and my father behind in tough times. I was allowed to refuse, yet I still went with her, leaving my sister behind with the weight of the Hunger Games on her shoulders.

'What's more, my mother rejected me. She would go off to who – knows – where and I would by myself for many times. And then…and then she died. She was at a party and somehow she ended up on the roof. She had too much to drink. She was drunk and staggered, and fell off the high roof. An instant death.

'The role of the stylist was given to me. I was depressed, with no one left. My mother dead and I weren't allowed to go back to District 11. But I told myself that I would pull through somehow. And just when I slowly started getting better, the girl tribute for District 11 showed up. And it was my sister.'

A loud gasp escaped my lips and I clamped my hands to my mouth. Imagine, imagine being in poor Melina's place! Imagine, having your whole life destroyed in such a short time! A few drops of tears escaped my eyes and I lean over to hug her tightly. She hugs me back tightly and pulls me away gently, a few of her tears making tracks on her face.

'It was the most horrifying day of my life. I was preparing her for her death, Rue. And when she entered the Arena, she came down to the last six standing. She died – she died a slow and painful death by the hands of another tribute.'

Tears now begin to flow freely down my face and I reach for Melina hand and squeeze it gently.

'Which is why, to this day, I keep myself silent. Say a few words whenever needed. Because if I don't, I would ruin the small amount of life within me by yelling out things about the Capitol, about how much I hate them. I hate them, Rue, I really hate them. And I have never told anyone this, apart from you.' Melina finishes her story.

I am silent. Silent for a while. Then I reach forward and pull her into another tight hug. 'I'm so sorry,' I said, crying into her bright red hair.

'Don't be,' she hugs me back. 'I want to thank you for your support. Thank you, thank you, Rue.'

'It's okay,' I pull back and rub tears away from my eyes. 'Anytime… that is, if I don't die in the A-'

'Stop!' Melina suddenly says. Then she covers her mouth slightly. 'Sorry…'

'Don't be, I promise I'll try to survive.' I give her a smile and she returns one back, just as the door bangs open. I jump off the couch and turn around, only to discover Makayla by the door.

'Broonee says hurry up! Come on! I'm sorry to ruin the goodbye, but we don't have much time so let's go!' Makayla grabs my arms and begins to jog. I catch Melina rolling her thickly, eye – liner coated eyes.

The final preparations and dressings are held under the catacombs of the Arena. To take me there, a hovercraft arrives, dropping a ladder. When I climb onto it, some sort of current sticks me to the ladder as it lifts me back up again.

The ladder doesn't release me then. A woman in a white coat appears with a syringe in her hand. I eye it warily. The needle doesn't look inviting.

'Rue, this is a tracker. Try and stay as still as possible, because that will place the tracker more effectively.'

I'm already frozen but I still make an effort to stand even stiller as the needle pokes into my skin, placing the trackers under it on my forearm. This way, a tribute can't be lost and the Gamemakers will know where we are.

The ladder releases me and Broonee appears, along with an Avox and we go into a dining room where breakfast is set out. I feel like I'm going to throw up at anything that I place in my mouth. Nevertheless, I eat the best I can, because finding food will one of the most important thing to do in the Arena, yet it will be difficult. Might as well eat when I have the chance.

Half an hour later, it is clear that we are nearing the Arena as the windows show complete black. When the hovercraft stops, the ladder once again glues Broonee and me to it and we are lead to a tube underground, which lead to the catacombs underneath the Arena. From there we go to the room where I am dressed and prepared, called the Launch Room. Everything here is brand new, because each year they have a different Launch Room for a different year. The old ones are like museums or some sort of popular destination, going around and touring the undergrounds, where the deaths took places and even take parts in re -enactments.

How can they find enjoyment in something so cruel?

I am cleaned up a bit before Broonee hands me my outfit for me to wear in the Arena. Apart from my undergarments, I have a light green blouse, tawny pants, a sturdy brown belt and a thin, hooded black jacket that ends at my thighs.

'This jacket is made of a kind material that can reflect back body heat.' Broonee says. 'There are exceptions on some cool nights though, so you'll need to find proper, warm shelter and not always rely on the jacket.'

I nod and pull on skin-tight socks and boots. The boots were the best part (apart from the jacket). They were made of soft leather and were the perfect kind for running.

I test everything by walking, running, jumping and such about the room. 'All fine,' I say to Broonee.

'Good,' Broonee says. She runs her fingers through her but doesn't tie it up. She leaves it like I always do. 'Now, do you have your token?'

I nod, my fingers pulling out my precious necklace. Broonee smiles. 'Good. More food?'

I take a piece of sliced apple and nibble on it gingerly and sip some water. My heart's thumping too fast for my own good and my stomach feels like it is being squeezed from the inside. I swallow and take deep breaths through my nose. _Come one,_ I tell myself. _You can do this._

'Rue?' Broonee's voice makes me jump slightly. 'Sorry…well, this is a stupid question, but are you…okay?'

I smile and answer honestly. 'No, I'm not. But thank you for caring, Broonee.'

'It's okay, it was an idiotic question.' Broonee pulls me into hug. 'I'm sorry you have to go through this,' she whispers.

'It's okay; I'll do my best to survive.' I hug her back.

'I know you will.' Broonee pulls away and smiles at me. 'Drink and eat while you can without having to hunt for it.'

I take her advice and continue slowly eating and drinking. Broonee and I sit in a silence until a female voice breaks the silence. She announces that it is time to launch.

Broonee gives me another, warm hug. 'Good luck, Rue. Shine out there.'

'Thank you,' I say, my voice shaking slightly.

A glass cylinder lowers down from the roof and surrounds me. Broonee gives me a small, 'good luck' smile. I give her a 'thank you' smile. The cylinder rises, and after some seconds of darkness, the metal plate pushes me out of my cylinder and suddenly I want it back. It was like some form of protection around me, even if it was rising to my death.

_No!_My brain practically yells at me. _Think positive. You will survive. You will._

I am welcomed by the sight of a large, golden Cornucopia, the large golden horn with the curved tail that stores most of the best important supplies to help us survive sitting on a pack of hard dirt. It is also spread around and away from the Cornucopia, and their value decrease depending on how far away from the horn it is. And right now, to get away from the Bloodbath, I need to choose things away from it.

To one side lies nothing, like it was a cliff or something. To my right lies spars pine woods, and to my left lays a lake. The woods, is where I can find shelter and food, but the lake is where I can get water.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the seventy – fourth annual Hunger Games!' the voice of the announcer, Claudius Templesmith, booms through the air. The tributes look around their surroundings and the Cornucopia, deciding their move once the gong goes off. It rings after sixty seconds have passed, and ten seconds ago, the countdown started. Step off before the gong rings and you are blown into the air by mines.

Majority of the tributes, I assumed, would run to the Cornucopia to get the best of the supplies. I had to do the opposite. I scan the area and decide on my plan. I would run straight to the lake, but on my way, I will pick a few, small supplies that I can find. Once I am stocked with water, I will have to safely cross over to the woods again for my food and shelter. Yes, that is what I will try and do.

I didn't want to give my plan away by staring around too much, so I fix my eyes on the Cornucopia and making me look like that is where I am going to run too. Hopefully I can get away without anyone noticing me. Most likely most of them would be caught up in the Bloodbath to notice me. Maybe.

Ten seconds left and I'm starting to panic. What if someone has their eye on me? I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to get rid of the smallest first. Wouldn't want one pesky little tribute getting in their way.

But maybe, if I sprint fast enough, they won't be able to catch me. Maybe, if –

The sound of the gong ringing out makes me jump out of the metal plate and I think that if I had done this before the gong had rung, I would end up as bloody confetti on the ground. Imaging human confetti wasn't pleasant.

But I had to stop thinking about human confetti. I begin to run, not to the Cornucopia but towards the lake. Screams of pain already begins to sound out in the air as the tributes fought a bloody fight near the Cornucopia. I don't dare look back as I continue sprinting for my life.

The seventy – fourth annual Hunger Games have begun.

Ok! I'm so sorry, I did say the actual Hunger Games would start on this chapter and I was hoping for a bit more than this but I really wanted to include Melina's story and, yeah, that's basically this chapter. But to make up for it, I'll upload sooner than usual and actually get a bit more of the Games into it!

Anyway, I hope this chapter was alright! Please comment with your feedback and vote if you like it! And fan too :D :D

Bye!J


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